Moonlight Illusions
by atrivianni
Summary: Itachi takes his mother away from Konoha. The exact definition of this relationship gets rather hazy when it comes to Mikoto and her son. It gets even worse when an alluring Akatsuki redhead gets involved.
1. Chapter 1

Fugaku's body lies on the floor, head turned towards the bleak window, rays of moonlight illuminating the sleek line of crimson running across his neck.

She watches him walk towards her. With every step, drops of blood fall from the edge of his katana onto the hardwood floor, as if Itachi were redrawing the blueprints of the room, or perhaps it was a trail of red ants obediently following the master of the night.

Sheathing the bloodied sword, he kneels before her. A firm hand reaches out and softly clasps onto her shoulder. He can see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes. He can see the shadows that trace the contours of her neckline, skin so white, it puts the stars to shame.

She is so delicate, like a flower in winter.

"Mother," he whispers, leaning forward. He pauses, looking into the abyss of her eyes, waiting for permission. She nods, and Itachi places his ear to her bosom, listening to the heartbeat of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Her heart beats at a leisure. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ Considering the blade at her neck, he is impressed with her tranquility.

"Do you love me?" he asks. Her hand reaches over, and he entwines his fingers with hers.

"Yes."

"Do you love me the most?"

There is only silence after his question. She will not say anything. She will not lie.

He laughs bitterly. "I thought so."

**o.O.o**

It is Mother's birthday, and it takes all the control that young Itachi has to not tear apart the entire house. The cake is burnt. The candles are the wrong color. The flowers are all crooked, and there's not enough of them.

He is Itachi Uchiha. Itachi Uchiha is suppose to excel at everything.

Cleaning the charred flour off the roof of the oven, he shoots a glare to his sheepish clone. _Stupid, stupid_, he scolds himself, banging his head against the kitchen cabinet, _should've just skipped training. Serves me right for leaving a clone in charge of Mother's birhday dinner. What a disaster._

Itachi flies around the house, pushing his apologetic clone aside, as he throws away all the ruined food and runs down to Yamanaka flowershop to buy a dozen bouquet of roses. He inspects each flower, making sure that they are up to par for his mother. After all, Mikoto Uchiha deserves nothing but the best.

But when Mother returns home, she is laughing with Sasuke. Itachi glares at his younger brother, who has chocolate on his face and whose hands are currently desecrating his mother's white dress. She doesn't seem to mind his messiness though and continues smiling down at him.

Itachi rolls his eyes at his foolish little brother. "Mother -" he begins. "Ah, Itachi," she says, giving him a quick hug, and Itachi reluctantly releases her body from his grip, relishing in the sweet scent of lilacs and cherry blossoms.

"Sasuke and I just got back from the market. Come on my sweet boy," she says, - Itachi freezes when she uses this nickname - leading Sasuke out of the foyer, "let's give you bath."

They walk away, and in each step of their synchronized pace, Itachi heart breaks a little more.

Itachi waits an hour. And then two. And then three. He waits at the dinner table as wax from the exhausted candles drips onto the cake, and the flowers, still wrapped in ribbon, begin to wilt. He waits until the moon is skyhigh and the owls begin to hoot before cleaning up the party of one and heading towards his room.

The light is still on in Sasuke's room as he walks past. Itachi can't help but peek in. His mother is asleep in the bed, both arms wrapped around a snoring Sasuke. A small bag of chocolates sit on the nightstand.

Sighing, Itachi turns off the light and closes the door, walking down the hallway. As he is about to enter his dark and dreary room, there is a spark, a small sense of hope, that perhaps his mother bought a bag of chocolates for him too.

With a small smile, Itachi pushes open the door, eyes automatically darting towards his table, desperately searching for some resemblance of a plastic package tied in red ribbon.

The desk contains mission scrolls, sheathes of spare parchment, and quills, all neatly aligned. There is nothing else.

And then, Itachi realizes that he does not need chocolates. If he tries hard enough, tears taste just as sweet.

**o.O.o**

His hand runs through her midnight locks, and he pulls her body tightly against his as if they could merge as one. "I used to be your sweet boy," he whispers, almost choking as his throat tightens, "I used to be your _baby_."

He sees teardrops hitting the floor, falling from above. Guilt churns in his stomach for making his mother cry, so he buries his face into her neck and pretends that this moment will last forever.

Her hands rubbed lovingly over his back, moving in circles. "Itachi -"

"No," he interrupts, closing his eyes, "let's just be like this." But his mother is insistent. Lifting up his head, she forces him meet her gaze.

Itachi has always been infatuated with his mother's eyes. But right now, the the wan moonlight shining into her ebony irises, an urgency in her gaze that, first the time, Itachi sees in her eyes, a flicker of fear. A flicker of uncertainty.

"Take care of Sasuke," she says. And Itachi snaps.

Crimson eyes spin wildly as he pushes her aside and throws his katana against the wall, where it shatters in two.

"No!" he screams, "you're not allowed say that!"

The coup de e'tat. The council. Danzo. He was a pawn in everyone's game. And now his mother, who is about to _die_, will not ask him why. Will not ask him to spare her.

No, she only cares about _Sasuke_.

So Itachi decides that enough is enough. He is tired of games.

With a flick of his hand, a clone appears out of thin air, an exact copy of Mikoto. Grabbing a kunai from his pouch, he slits the clone's throat and promptly throws it onto the ground.

He lifts his mother up from her bowed position. "Itachi, what are you -"

"Mother, I love you," he says, as swirls of wind envelope them, and then they are gone.

**o.O.o**

**Author's note: This was originally suppose to be a one-shot, but this particular ending leaves the denouement ambiguous. I am actually curious myself as to what happens next, but I'm worried that if I do extend this story, I will ruin the integrity of the original. Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

It's complete blackness, and Mikoto feels as if she is in the sea at midnight, dark and barren waters. Waves that crash among each other, crest versus crest, trough versus trough.

Fish swim in in groups, terrified of the shadows that lurk beneath. They filter through her body, nibbling at her fingers, weave into and out of her hair like it was their own makeshift reef.

Lightning splits the sky in two, one half intact in the atmosphere, the lower side chipping away at the fissure until the last shard breaks and it plummets into the oceans.

Mikoto is trapped inside this intangible mass. She pounds at the barrier, screaming as the sky falls further, dragging her down into the bottomless abyss. The fish are small. They can swim out through the cracks, and Mikoto watches they escape with their lives while she cannot.

But it's okay. Because Mikoto is a coral. And when coral reefs break down and fade, fish must find a new home.

The ocean has turned red.

o.O.o

It is just a dream, but Mikoto feels as if she had drowned anyways. The sea is now Itachi's eyes, the Sharingan spinning madly as he moves through the forest canopy, heading east of Corona.

"Itachi-" she tries, but he puts a finger to her lips.

"We're being followed."

Looking behind them, she notices the shadows rushing by the trees, never stopping more than a second on a particular branch. She recognizes them. ANBU. Without a word, Itachi picks up his speed and shifts to left just as a shuriken hurtles past.

"Aha! We got them!" Her eyes widen, but she's startled when the pursuers go off to the direction opposite of them.

"Wha-" Mikoto almost slaps herself when she realizes what she was about to ask. Despite the dire circumstances, she can't help but take in the fact with pride.

Genjustu.

Itachi is after all, her son.

They slow to a stop right outside the forest, and Itachi sets her down. He keels over, gasping. "Itachi!" She turns his body over to inspect the injury. He's wounded. Severely. A thick laceration runs down the length of his back. It's still bleeding, and the skin needs to be disinfected.

"Fools." A hiss sounds from behind, and she spins around. Five Konoha nins surround them. They're wearing masks, but she can still see the smirks on their faces as they glance at Itachi's body writhing on the ground.

"He already exhausted all of his chakra back at the compound," one of the ANBU explains, "the genjutsu was impressive. But weaker than what Itachi can usually do." He forms a hand signal, and two clones appear.

"Stop!" She stands firmly in front of Itachi, refusing allow a step forward. "Tonight's events have been strange. What is ANBU's role in this?"

Hesitation emits from the nin, as they look at her with something almost like pity. The leader pauses, then shrugs. "It doesn't really matter now does it? The point is, you and your son are loose-ends that need to be taken care of."

He stalks forward, and pulls off his mask. "Might as well let my face be the last you see."

The moonlight glints the side of his face. She sees that he has a light brown hair, cropped messily at the base of his neck. A scar runs down his left cheek in the form of a half moon crescent. His mouth is wide, too wide, and he's missing a lower canine.

She can't help but think of how ugly he looks compared to her son.

Unsheathing his sword, he sneers. ""Oh how ironic it is to see the might _Itachi Uchiha_ like this. Defeated."

At this, Mikoto finally snaps. Something takes over, and her body moves on its own accord. Maternity instinct.

The nin's left standing open-jawed and empty-handed, as Mikoto avoid his attack, reaching up and snatching his sword away with ease. Glaring harshly into his surprise eyes, she twists his wrist so that his arm is wrapped behind his neck and pulls down his head, so that they are at eye level.

"Don't you dare say that about my son," she whispers and then hurls him towards a nearby tree.

His back hits the oak, and he slides down the trunk, yelping as the jagged bark scrapes his skin. He falls to the ground with a _thud!_, red vertical streaks staining the oak.

The other nin snicker. "Hey, Saito! Looks like you got beaten by a woman."

Saito pulls himself from the grimy foilage, wiping mud from his face, spitting out dead leaves. "Lucky shot," he grumbles, "I bet the whore doesn't even know how to use a sword."

Her blood boils, and Mikoto is about to go forward and show him, through combat, just who really was the whore, because at this point, she is past forgiveness. This nin will have his manhood sliced off and demoted so far down the ranks, he will have sell himself to earn enough wage for the rest of his miserable life.

She is so caught up in her fury, she accidentally snaps Saito's sword in half. Shocked whispers some from the other nin, and they look at the weapon, now splintered into a useless tool that can't even stab a sheep.

Mikoto curses at herself. Lacking a weapon will be a severe disadvantage against five. Seven, if she included the clones.

But for her son, she will do anything. For Itachi, she will give up her life.

The group of ANBU close in, and she whispers a quick prayer up to the heavens. But before she can charge into battle, six shuriken fly through the air, and piercing flesh. Saito displays a confounded frown, as he tries to figure out what is happening. He looks at Mikoto, and she is confused with the fear she sees in his eyes. Blood spurts from his mouth as a seventh shuriken swiftly punctures his jugular, as he collapses to the ground.

"You weren't going to have all the fun without me, were you?" an amused voice sounds from behind her.

A smile of relief dances across her mouth. She turns around, and buries her face in Itachi's shirt, his arms enveloping her tightly. Tears trickle down her cheeks, and she is laughing. Laughing like a madwoman because her son is a murderer, yet all she wants is to love him. To make up for having failed him.

"I love you, Itachi," she murmurs between her hiccups.

o.O.o

Itachi wants to kill himself. This is what he wanted. His mother is here. His mother loves him, and he has betrayed her.

_I am such a bastard._

He breaks away from the embrace and takes a step back, gazing directly at the moon, wishing it was bright enough to blind him.

"Itachi?" His mother is nervous. "Is something the matter?"

He wants to laugh. Because everything is the matter. Everything that can go wrong has already gone on, so there really is no point in going through the standard semantics.

"Mother," he says quietly, "There's something I need to tell. The truth."

A chuckle emits from beyond the forest, and a man cloaked in black with a red cloud appears in a gust of wind. He has orange hair and metal piercings that decorate his face, giving the man a sinister appearance. His eyes are purple. Ringed.

"Bravo," he claps, smiling warmly at Mikoto. "That was an exciting battle. I must say, Mikoto, you are certainly a contender amongst the elite. Why, you may even give Akasuna here a run for his money." He gestures to a short and stout man that stands beside him. Spikes decorate the spine of his body, and he has a large lump on his back. He looks more like a monster than a body. _Then again_, Itachi thinks, _they and I are all monsters. At least he is honest about it._

Akasuna is staring intently at his mother. She looks like angel under the moonlight. An ethereal being that will break upon contact with a mortal's touch. Akasuna's gaze is of a predator's, meant for doves and deer. Fury charges through his body, and Itachi pulls Mikoto close towards him, giving the other man a threatening glare.

Pein turns his focus back to Itachi. "Tsk, tsk, Itachi. Shame on you for not telling us about your beautiful mother."

"It wasn't part of the initial plan," he replies tersely, and Mikoto winces at his tightened grip on his arm.

"Itachi, do you know these people?" she asks.

Itachi sighs. "Like I said, mother. I have a lot to tell you."

Pein steps forward. "There will be a time for stories later. But as you may have noticed" he tilts his head towards the forest, "another group from Konoha is arriving. It's best if we go now. But for now, all you need to know is"

He leans forward, and she can see that his eyes are swirling, the rings becoming spirals as they spin in a violet haze.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki."


	3. Chapter 3

Pein glances into the forest and sighs. "Well, it seems as if the rest of the party has already arrived. Akasuna, would you mind taking care of them while I escort them back to our base?"

"Certainly," the creature rasps.

"Excellent." With a wave of his hand, a harsh breeze swirls around the three of them, and the surroundings slowly fade.

o.O.o

Pein's jutsu takes them to a clearing. A river flows through the center, and butterflies flit amongst the iridescent plantlife blooming by the rocks. A large rock sits by the waterfall, eerie and ominous.

"It's invisible to outsiders," Pein says from behind her. "Only the three of us can see the entrance."

As if it had sensed their presence, the rock shifts to the right, revealing an opening.

Pein smiles at her, sweeping his arm towards the entryway. "Ladies first."

It's dark when she stumbles in, her hands grasping at the wall for balance. She's surprised by the smooth texture.

Then the lights turn on.

The room is at least a hundred feet in length and looks more like a castle than a hideout. The floor is covered in the finest rugs from Sunagakure, and portraits of different Akatsuki members hang from the wall. The hallway splits into a double staircase, spiraling up to the second floor and veering off into separate areas. The rooms on the upper story are designed in a square form so that the center is all empty except for a glass chandelier that dangles from the ceiling. Each room is gated with a glass terrace. Looking up, Mikoto sees a man standing by the railing.

He's dressed in the same cloak as the Pein and Sasori. His blonde hair is fashioned in a partial ponytail with the bottom half falling loose at his shoulders. He's wearing a metal eyeglass that's almost covered by his front fringe, and he waves to her when they make eye contact.

After a brief pause, Mikoto cautiously lifts a hand and waves back.

"Deidara!" Pein calls up to the young man. "Will you show Mikoto to her chambers? She needs to refresh herself before tonight's ball."

"A ball?" Mikoto asks.

"Of course!" Pein puts his hand on the small of her back, leading her down the hallway. "You and Itachi are, after all, the guests of honor."

Itachi glowers at Deidara, who has just jumped down from the balcony. "It's okay, I can show my mother instead."

Deidara's eyes widen. "Whoa. This hot chick's your mom, Uchiha?"

Itachi's eyes flash red, his hand reaches down for his katana. "Why you-"

"Now, now Deidara. Let's be courteous." Giving the blonde man a stern look, Pein grabs Itachi's arm and pulls him off towards a room to the right. "I have some blueprints to discuss with you, Itachi. You can meet with your mother during the feast."

Mikoto is left standing alone with the blonde man. "Good evening, Deidara," she begins.

Deidara moves closer to her until their foreheads are touching, and she can feel his breath. "You really are beautiful." he whispers

"Uhh-" he scoops her up bridal style and runs up the stairs, past the second floor to the _third_ floor, slowing to a stop outside a double door.

He sets her down. "Unfortunately, I also have a mother who I am absolutely overprotective of, so I know how Uchiha is feelings right now. See you later, m'am." He winks and runs off.

Mikoto chuckles. _Deidara seems like a fine young man. I wonder how he came to be in the Akatsuki_.

There are two double doors to her room, each with a brass doorknob in the shape of a lion. She grabs onto one and pulls.

The door does not budge

She tries again. Nothing.

"It's push," a soft voice emits from behind, and Mikoto jumps back.

A woman appears. Her skin is pale and unmarred except for the steel piercing on her chin. Her features are dainty, conflicting with her sharp amber eyes that look as if they have seen everything. Her thistle-colored hair falls at her chin, adorned with a paper rose, it's purple color one shade lighter.

"Ahh!" the woman exclaims, her face lighting up, "You must be Mikoto! Pein just sent word about you. I'm Konan, by the way." She extends her hand.

Mikoto shakes it hesitantly. "Does every Akatsuki member know that I'm here?"

"Well, Pein and Sasori were there in the forest, and I see that you've already met Deidara. The only reason I know is because I'm the Pein's right-hand man, so unless you've been wandering around our base, no one else should know except…" she trails off, her tone nervous.

"Well?" Mikoto prompts.

"Nothing." Konan says with a bright smile. "Well, I have to go. You should get ready for the ball" she adds before her body flakes into folds of paper, and she vanishes without a trace.

Mikoto stares in awe at the empty spot where the woman had stood before.

_Wow, she must be powerful_.

Shaking her head, Mikoto pushes open the door, and her jaw drops again.

The room is furnished with a king-sized mahogany bed, and a chandelier of its own. The entire west wall is compose of one window with silk champagne curtain drawn back at the ends. It is a suite, with a full bathroom and walk-through closet.

A dress has already been set out for her on the bed.

It is a midnight blue evening gown with a laced chiffon corset, flaring out at the skirt. Small golden pebbles are sewn onto the left shoulder, running down the side like a pathway for angels. A slit goes down from the right thigh all the way to the bottom of the dress.

She puts it on and stands front of the full-body mirror.

_Oh._

She twirls.

_Oh my._

She twirls one more time.

_Goodness! I can't wear this!_

Rushing to the closet, she searches through the assortment of dresses, growing worried as each one is provocative and revealing than the previous.

_What am I going to do?_

A screech sounds in the room, pulling Mikoto out of her frantic voice. "Mikoto," Pein says through the intercom, "Could you please come down stairs to the ballroom. Everyone is very excited to meet you."

_No no no._

Realizing that there is no other option besides jumping out the window, Mikoto sighs.

_Okay. It's just one ball._


	4. Chapter 4

The dining hall is about equal in the size with the main area. The room is sparsely furnished with an elongated oak table stretched across the length of the hall. Clamber emits from the metal doors on the east wing, where the chefs are cooking dishes. Servants dressed in bowties and slacks daintily pick up the delicacies on silver platters, setting the down on the table and removing the metal top with a professional flair.

But currently, no one's eyes are on the food.

Mikoto can't help but want to run out of the room. Deidara has dropped his wineglass. Everyone in the room has paused in conversation, and their blatant looks make her cheeks glow warm.

A black mass makes contact with her face, temporarily blinding her with darkness. Holding up the cloth, she realizes that it is a blazer.

Itachi's arms wrapped around her, and he leans forward, putting his lips to her ear. "Perhaps you would like to wear it, mother."

Mikoto smiles gratefully at him.

"Why, my savior." She teases. Itachi smirks, tightening his embrace as he sets his chin on her collarbone, breathing in the saccharine aroma. She smells of jasmines and evergreens, and he can't help but wonder if she would taste the same.

He wonders what moonlight would taste like.

"Whoa, mom" Deidara wolf-whistles, and they chuckle together at the inside joke while Pein observe them in a confused manner.

Itachi growls. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from her, bomber-freak."

"Jealous?" Deidara grins, innocently raising up his hands, and Mikoto gasps at the human-like mouths his palms.

Deidara winks when he notices her staring. "Well, how else am I suppose to mold my clay?" The tongues stick out a wiggle, as if for emphasis.

"It's a delight to have you, Mikoto," Pein says warmly, "Let me introduce to you the rest of the Akatsuki members."

"This is Kisame." A blue-skinned man walks forward. His feature mimic those of a sharks, gills running down bottoms of his eyes to the upper jaw. His hair, which like his skin, is also blue, sticks up like a tuft of fawna.

"Nice to meet you, m'am," he nods.

A masked man steps forward. His entire body is covered in a grey covering that hides even his hair. The neutral palette contrasts severely with his almond-shaped eyes, which shine a fiery green.

"I am Kakuzu." The man says before returning to silence.

"Zetsu is out on a reconnaissance mission," Pein explains, "and Sasori hasn't arrived back yet. But if I'm not mistaken, we are missing one more-"

"WHAT THE MOTHERFUCKING HELL IS GOING ON?" A raucous voice floats in from the hallway, and Pein winces. "Ahh, yes. Mikoto, allow me to introduce the last member of Akatsuki-"

"JASHIN DAMMIT! I TRY TO GO TO SLEEP AND THEN SOME VIRGIN HARLOT WAKES ME UP FOR A FUCKING FEAST? FUCK YOU! FUCK THE WORLD! I"M NOT PUTTING UP WITH THIS SHIT-"

"Hidan," Itachi says quietly, and the man immediately stops talking. "Say hello to my mother."

Hidan scratches his head sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. Nice to meet you harlot- I mean, Uchiha-san. I would've been a little less profanic if I had known there was a woman with us tonight - OW FUCK YOU, KONAN!" he screeches as a ball of paper hits the side of his head.

"ALRIGHT!" Pein yells over the commotion, "I bet everyone's starving. Let's dig in."

Mikoto sits at the corner end of the table. Deidara pulls out a chair and sits beside her only to have Itachi drag him off and take the seat instead.

"Ouch, Uchiha," Deidara mutters from his position on the carpet floor, rubbing the burgeoning bruise on his head.

Dozens of dishes have been lain on the table, ranging from grilled oysters and thyme-roasted river bass to red bean dumplings and sweet rice pudding. Ivory chopsticks are set on yew rests, next to a silver spoon for the lotus root bisque. Servants circle the setting, placing velvet napkins on everyone's lap.

"Would you like Merlot or Chardonnay, madam?" a man with salt and pepper hair asks.

"Ahh" Mikoto hesitates, her fingers nervously crumpling the extra length of cloth that dangles off the table. She is unsure of what he is referring to.

A hand grabs onto her, calming her fluttering fingers. "The lady will have Merlot," Itachi says, turning towards her. "It's made of a special type of grapes, tropical, saccharine but not too sweet. It has an acidic supplement but lacks the bitter tang one gets from Chardonnay."

"Oh," she says, distracted by their entwined fingers.

Pein stands up from his seat and taps his glass with a spoon. "Before we eat, I would like to make a toast."

"Oh come on, old man! I'm fucking starving!"

"Ahem!" Pein glares before resuming his speech," Besides Hidan, I am grateful to have each one of you. We have been through turmoil and hardship, but with each obstacle we've overcome, we have grown closer as a family. And if anyone of you guys mention anything I just said to Sasori when he gets back, I will peel off your skin with a butter knife."

Everyone laughs.

"And now," Pein raises his wine glass, "I would like to welcome the newest additions to Akatsuki. Cheers to Mikoto and Itachi Uchiha!"

"Cheers!"

Hidan is the first to dig in, shoving his face into a plate of mash potatoes, inhaling the puree while muttering expletives about Pein and his lack of consideration for the famished. Kakuzu looks on with a disapproving countenance although Mikoto cannot tell for sure with the mask covering the majority of his features.

"Mikoto!" Pein beams, passing down a plate to her, "I insist you try this dish. It is the signature of Kirigakure cuisine."

It is a plate of shells, mollusc in shape, spiral from the inner ring and flaring out at the opening. Each individual piece is settled in a cavity chiseled into the platter, soused in, by the smell of it, almond oil and oregano.

_How do you eat this?_

As if he had read her mind, Itachi picks up a shell with a pair of tongs and twists off the tip. Taking his chopsticks, he slide the utensil carefully into the husk, slowly easing out the meat.

"Say ah," he whispers, moving his chopsticks in front of her mouth.

Wordlessly, she opens her mouth and takes a tentative bite.

"It's delicious."

"I know," he says, going back to his own meal.

They eat in silence, while the other around them chat in a merry manner. Deidara asks her some questions, but stops when Itachi gives him another look.

There is some sort of tension that is fostering in between them, although Mikoto can't quite put a word to it.

She stares at the side of his face, taking in the pallid, moon-lit skin and thinned lips. He is lean but strong, midnight-black hair falling back like an eagle diving for snake. His eyes are onyx, hardened by the years, and the dreary color evokes a twinge of guilt in Mikoto. They are the eyes of a ninja.

Looking back, she wonders if it was the right path for him.

He catches her looking at him, and she turns her gaze away in chagrin. She counts to ten, looks back, and their eyes meet again.

"Something on your mind?" he asks, bemused.

_Everything_, she wants to say.

"I-"

Mellifluous music fills the room as the pianist begins to play, harmonizing with a class of violins. It is soft in tune, rising up and down at sporadic intervals and makes Mikoto feel as if she were a young girl at her first autumn festival.

"Come on everyone! Let's dance," Pein exclaims, helping Konan out of her seat.

Mikoto wants to dance. She really does. But the song is a love ballad meant for couples, and she would feel silly dancing by herself.

Itachi is still staring at her. "I..." he trails off.

Shaking his head, he tries again. "Do you…" the last part comes out a little garbled, and he lifts his arm, making motions around to the dancefloor. "I mean-"

"Hey Mikoto! Want to dance me?" Deidara bats his eyelashes in a girlish style. "We'll have so much fun and gossip about Itachi!" he squeals, imitating a schoolgirl voice.

Mikoto chuckles. "Of cou-"

"No." Grabbing her arm, Itachi almost drags his mother from her seat. She stumbles for a moment, falling into his chest. His eyes immediately soften into a worried gaze. "I- I'm so sorry," he murmurs, apologetically, "I didn't mean to pull you so hard."

"I'm fine, Itachi," she says, running her fingers through his hair. "Let's dance."

Arm in arm, they walk to the open floor, where Pein is already twirling Konan, and a drunken Hidan is rolling on the ground.

She puts places a hand on his shoulder, and he holds onto her waist. Clasping their hands together, they move to and fro, two steps to the right, two steps to the left, one step back.

The others have joined them on the ballroom floor with their own dates, each pair dancing in a synchronized movement with the rest.

A wicked gleam flashes in Itachi's eyes, and Mikoto gets nervous. "Ready?" he asks, the ends of his mouth twitching into a smile.

"What- Ah!" he lifts her up off the ground, and twirls her around as everyone else looks on in amusement. Her arms instinctively move up, and Mikoto feels like she is flying.

"Love you," Itachi says, still spinning her.

Mikoto giggles because for the first time she has forgotten about the coup d'etat, her troubles with Fugaku, and Konoha. For the first time, she can _laugh_.

They slow, and Itachi gently sets her on the ground. "Love you too," she says. She hears a hitch in his breath and notices the darkening of his gaze.

In the blink of an eye, his hands cup her chin, and he leans towards her. He looks at her. She looks at him, and Mikoto feels uneasy.

"Ah, Itachi," she says nervously, attempting to disengage herself from his grasps, but he grips onto her even tighten, his knuckles turning pallid. His nails dig into her skin, and she winces.

"Itachi, you're hurting me."

His eye flicker red. "I," he says hoarsely, the sharingan spinning madly, "I will have you-"

"Attention, everyone!" The red fades back to black, and Itachi jerks himself out of his haze. His clutch lightens, allowing Mikoto to break free and back away, her eyes full of fear.

"Wait! Mother!" Itachi says desperately, "I didn't mean to-"

Pein's voice cuts him off. A tall, plant-like man stands next to him, one side of his body white, the other side black.

"Zetsu has just informed me that as of an hour ago, Sasori has still not entered the Akatsuki vicinity."

"Danna's not here yet?" Deidara asks worriedly, "How is that possible?"

Pein shakes his head. "Nothing is for certain. Right now, we have to remain optimistic. I will split everyone up into different search parties. Deidara, you can go with Hidan and Kakuzu. Use to your clay bird to fly up and scan the outer regions. Kisame, you and-"

"That won't be necessary," A low sultry voice sounds from the end of the room. The double oak doors open, and young man walks in.

He is tall and dynamic, emitting an air of nonchalance. His hair, silken and redder than flames. The marquee of his sharp facial features are his hazel bedroom eyes, closed at half-mast. Well-defined muscles exhibit his prowess, prodding out from beneath his mesh shirt.

Her eyes widens when the beautiful man stops before her. He bows and lifts her hand, planting a soft kiss.

"My sincerest apologies for arriving so late at your party." His voice is smooth and flawless. "Hiroku broke down on the way back, thus, delaying my journey. Will you accept my repentance or would you rather serve lashes on my naked body?"

_What?_

He glances up, and Mikoto attempts to contain her blush. "I'm sorry sir, but who exactly are you?"

"Oh?" He looks surprised until realization dawns on his face. "That's right. I forgot you haven't seen me without Hiruko. Forgive me for the confusion. It's rather inappropriate to be uttering such potty words when I haven't even introduce myself."

_They're rather rather inappropriate any time of the day._

"My dear, Mikoto. I am Sasori Akasuna, Scorpion of the Red Sand."

o.O.o

**To be honest, I'm a bit worried. There are hundreds of people reading through to the last chapter, but not even one review. Does anyone actually like this story, or should I stop before I make people's eyes bleed?**


	5. Chapter 5

_Sasori?_

The same sounds familiar, and Mikoto wonders if he was famous back in Sunagakure.

_Wait._

Different pieces of her memory begin to gather in her mind, slowly aligning themselves together.

_Scorpion._

_Sand._

_Puppets.._

And then it hits her.

Images. Bodies strewn across the battlefield. Konoha nin. Some bodies ripped, torn by iron claws. Some ignited, burned till they were imprints on the sand. And then there were the inanimate ones.

A chuunin named Daichi had sprinted into the village one morning, panting harshly. "Th- there" he gasped, frantically pointing his finger towards the entrance "Pakuna, sh- she's"

A young girl, looking just months out of the Academy, was carried in on a stretcher. She was unconscious, arm hanging off the gurney, head tilted to one side. From a distance, Mikoto almost believed that Pakuna was in a deep slumber. But as she walked closer, she realized that Pakuna's eyes were wide open, stretched in fear, her body poised in mid-action, frozen in time.

"Sh- she was," Daichi tried to say. Before he could utter another word, he bent over, throwing up. "You're going to be alright," Mikoto murmured, rubbing his back sympathetically, "The medics will take care of your Pakuna."

Kakashi arrived. "I heard a nin was injured. Who else was there?" Several villagers in crowd gestured towards Daichi.

Rushing towards Daichi, Kakashi grabbed onto his shoulders, lifting him up from the floor "Daichi, what happened to Pakuna?"

"It was horrible!" Daichi rasped, his voice bitterly low, "She was standing right next to me, and suddenly, she ju- just drops! I didn't sense any chakra signatures. But one moment, she's smiling, the next, she's on the ground, a- an- and she wasn't breathing! Oh, God! Is she okay? Let me see her!"

He started coughing and heaved over, his vomit splattering over the Mikoto's shoes.

"Mikoto, I'll take Daichi to the infirmary," Kakashi instructed, "Will you go inform the Hokage?"

"Yes," she nodded, getting up, wincing at the squishy sound her ruined shoes made.

No one knew what was wrong with the nins who stilled. Their hearts, bones, and lungs were fine. Nothing was broken. No symptoms, no shrieks. Whenever the enemy began retreating, and victory seemed imminent, Konoha nin immediately began to drop. One by one. Dead.

The elders, the Hokage, ANBU, the entire village lived in a mix of confusion and fright.

_What was happening Konoha's nins?_

A team of medics, lead by Tsunade, were assigned the task of finding the cause of this lethal affliction.

They spent almost two years, running tests on corpses, checking the water sources coming in the villages, inspecting the market vegetables.

And then, they solved it.

"_It's poison," Tsunade announced, standing in the Hokage's office._

"_Poison? Sarutobi sat up in his seat, eyes alert. "But that's a common weapon! Every village uses it! How were we not able to identify it for so long?"_

"_It's a special type of poison," Tsunade replied, "It wipes a victim's chakra, which makes it almost undetectable in the blood stream. It's impressive. And fatal."_

_The Hokage sighed. "How long do you estimate an antidote?"_

"_We're trying our best, but no one has ever seen this form of toxin before. It might take a while."_

_One of the nin stepped forward. "Tsunade-sama, what's the best way of avoiding this poison?"_

_She shrugged. "Don't breathe."_

Mikoto remembers when they finally discovered the mastermind.

"_There's an intruder a mile from Konoha's main gate," a jounin reported._

_Minato nodded, "Very well. Send a group of nin to capture him. We have suffered enough losses. No more risks."_

Thirty jounin went.

Thirty came back.

Only one came back alive.

"_He was a puppeteer," the nin rasped on the hospital bed, his skin pale and sickly, "I knew from the beginning that something was wrong because they would just let __**one **__nin battle thirty. Naoki made four clones that started attacking."_

"_H-h- he didn't even move, and the clones died. He pulled out a scroll, and puppets swarmed out. There were over a hundred of them. They surrounded Naoki, and we couldn't see anything, but we could hear his screams. And then, the puppets opened their mouths. It- it was the poison! I swear on my life, everyone in the village talks about how it kills in less than a second, and when I saw it, I just __**knew**__." _

"_So I ran away, as fast and as far as possible, a- an- and everyone was yelling for me to come back, but when I turned around, and everyone was lying on the ground. Dead. And the man, the one with hair that could burn the sun. He just stood there, laughing. That man. He's more powerful than God."_

The nin died a day later.

Mikoto remembers how the sand was stained red for years after the war.

She remembers the man who became a legend at the age of sixteen.

"I- I" she says faintly, looking at Sasori's amber eyes. They're arched, his eyebrows furrowed, and he almost seems concerned. "What's the matter Mikoto?"

Itachi grips onto her hand, "Mother, are you okay?"

Sasori's face is fading, and she can no longer feel Itachi touch.

"I…" she whispers.

And then Mikoto flees from the room.

o.O.o

She's running through the corridor, her the fringe of her dress getting caught on the furniture stacked alongside the hallway, and then ripped as she rushes past, oblivious to her surroundings.

Turning the corner, she goes up the flight of stairs and skids to a stop in front of her room. It's dark, and she throws herself on top of her bed, panting heavily.

Her eyes are wet. In her haste, she had failed to realize the droplets of salted tears trickling down her cheeks.

_Oh God. Oh God. What's wrong with me?_

"Mother?"

Itachi leans against her doorway, his arms crossed.

"You left so quickly. Is something the matter?"

"I just…," she's trying to explain, but words won't come out, "Sasori…"

He gaze darkens. Rushing to the bed, he grabs her arm. "What did he do?" he growls.

"Itachi!" she struggles against his hold, but he pins her wrists against the headboard, eyes inflamed. She can see the devil dancing amongst the flames in his eyes.

Placing legs on each side of her waist, he leans and snarls. "That bastard! I'll kill him!" She can feel the heat in his groin. The moonlight reflecting on his neck.

And suddenly, Mikoto feels very weak. "Itachi," she begs, voice almost silent, "please… let me go."

It is a second that lasts for eternity, as the red irises dim to black, leaving her son in a state of entrancement. His body is an inch above hers, hoisted up by his upper body. He slowly lowers himself, and she can feel the full brunt of his weight.

Crushing.

"Mother," he breathes, his mouth parallel to her lips, hovering in steady suspense, as if he were asking for permission.

His exhale releases hot air that enters Mikoto's mouth, choking her, and she does not speak. Because this is her son, and she cannot deny him anything.

o.O.o

Their eyes stare at each other.

Itachi decides that he refuses to just look any longer, so before either of their hearts can beat an affirmative or negative, he puts his lips to her.

She tastes sweet, like hawthorns in the spring, and flavor stirs up the demon inside him.

It thirsts for more.

She's grappling with intensity, but in his haze, Itachi wants power. He wants full control.

And he wants his mother to be helpless. To beg. For him.

Thrusting his tongue into his mouth, he explore every inch of the cavern, forcing his own breath down her throat, prodding, marking what should have been his since birth.

It's complete euphoria, but Itachi has been a patient man for far too long, and now he cannot stop even if he wanted to.

Pulling away from her gasping orifice, he moves down to to her cheekbone, sucking until there is a mark that will last for weeks.

He goes even further, taking a kunai and preparing to rip her dress to shreds.

And that's when she starts resisting.

"Stop! Itachi!" she cries, pushing away the blade.

He shoves her flailing arms aside and rolls her over onto her stomach. Raising the kunai into the air, he is about to slice a clean cut down the back of her gown when a ray of moonlight gleams onto the side of the blade.

Kunais are the weapon of ninjas. Strong. Harsh. But underneath the luminescence of the moon, it looks softer. Kind.

Itachi stares at her mother, who is weeping into her pillow. The kunai drops from his hand and clatters to the ground.

"Mother," he whispers, "I'm so sorry."

Getting up, he pulls the covers over her and walks towards the door.

o.O.o

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Itachi mutters to himself as he walks down the corridor, wanting to drown himself in the Nakano River.

_I love her. Why am I acting this way?_

His hands are clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles turning white.

_She hates me_.

The droplets from his eyes fall in sync with the muffled pounding of his footsteps.

_After all I've done_.

Itachi turns around.

_I forgot to tell her._

o.O.o

He is standing outside her bedroom, hand poised at the doorknob. He knocks once.

No answer.

Sighing, he considers waiting for tomorrow in the hopes that she will be a much calmer state.

_No, she needs to know._

He opens the door and cautiously walks in. She's propped up on a pillow, and leans forward when she sees him, her eyes flickering towards the open window.

Itachi raises his arms up in surrender. "Wait," he says, hesitantly taking a step forward, "I know you don't want to see me right now, but there's something I need to tell you about. The truth about what happened that night in our compound."

o.O.o

Her gaze turns from curious, to attentive, to startled, then to furious as he tells about Danzo's scheme.

"I was suppose to kill everyone. It was for the village. Konoha would have been destroyed if we went through with the coup d'etat. I thought it was the only choice I had, but- when I held the katana over you, I- I couldn't do it," he confesses.

She gets up from the bed, pacing around. "I can't believe this. What about Sasuke?"

"He's safe," he assures her, "I made his life a part of the deal."

"Thank god," she falls to the bed, clutching her head.

"I knew that would be the only thing you would've cared about" He says bitterly.

"Itachi," she whispers, reaching out for him.

Getting up, he unsheathes his katana and places it on her nightstand. "Every Akatsuki member needs a weapon. Use this temporarily until I can get Kakuzu to order a custom one for you. I'll leave now."

"Wait." Her voice stops him right at the door. He glances towards her. "Yes, Mother?"

She looks small against the king-sized bed, as if she could disappear into the blankets, and Itachi could search for a hundred years and never find her.

"I... " she begins. "I'm scared. But I don't know of what."

Her fingers crumple the ends of the white sheet. "Itachi, will you stay with me? I- I feel safer with you here."

He swallows dryly. "Of course." He walks to the bed and settles in, wrapping his arms around her. She snuggles into his chest, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Goodnight, Itachi."

He plants a kiss on her forehead, "Goodnight, Mother."

_I love you._

_I am so sorry._

o.O.o

**Shoutout to Axellover2 for giving me my first review! Thank you so much :). It means a lot to me. I intend to make my chapters longer for now on.**

**Additionally, I advise you to grab popcorn next time. Because Sasori is about to come in stir up some trouble ;)**

**Atrivianni**

**P.S. Review?**


	6. Chapter 6

Mikoto wakes up next to a warm body. Itachi is already awake, his head tilted up in thought. The ceiling fan swirls around and around, making a terrible creaking sound. With a groan, Mikoto buries her head into Itachi's chest and attempts to smother the sound from her ears. Itachi chuckles at her actions. "I'll have Kakuzu hire someone to fix it," he says.

"No, it's fine," Mikoto murmurs, drowsily, "I don't mind it that much. Besides, Deidara already told me that he was a cheapskate."

"The most extreme," he agrees. He gets up from the bed, amidst her protests, and begins unbuttoning his shirt. "W-What are you doing, Itachi?" Mikoto stammers. "Getting dressed," Itachi says while doing the complete opposite. He notices the confused look on Mikoto's gives, and realization dawns. "Mother, we can't go downstairs in last night's clothes. Everyone will start to get ideas."

Mikoto blushes. Her entire face is getting warm, and before she can check herself, her jaw drops when she sees the sleek, defined muscles running down his chest. _Stop it, _she mentally scolds her lecherous half, _Stop thinking about these things!_

Itachi has finished dressing, and looks at her expectantly. "Shall we go down to breakfast?"

"But I'm not dressed yet." It's worse than that. Due to last night's rather _intense _confrontation, Mikoto's dress has been torn in shreds. A guilty looks flashes across Itachi's face, and he nods. "Okay, I'll go tell everyone that you're still getting ready." He walks steps forward towards her, his hand outstretched, lost in the air. There is a silent pause in which Mikoto quietly begs him to leave, so that she can figure out what is happening between them.

"Mother, I-" he starts, his hand at close enough to caress her cheek, but Mikoto gently pushes away and turns in the opposite direction. She does not want to see the hurt on his face. "Thank you, Itachi," she says softly, "I'll be down in fifteen minutes."

He nods stiffly and walks out of the room.

Mikoto grabs a towel off the powder room rack and steps into the shower. The shower itself is larger than the bathroom back in Konoha. The walls are of opaque glass, as she can see through the panels to the landscape mirror that emcompasses one side of the wall. She is lean, not as youthful as when she was an adolescent. Her breasts have become more developed after childbirth, and her skin still feels soft as she lathers on soap.

Mikoto hums after she rinses the shampoo from her hair. It may be the bathroom. It may be the aromatic smell. But right now, she feels like a princess.

o.O.o

Pein is the first one to greet her when she comes downstairs. "Ahh, Mikoto!" he exclaims, "I'm glad to see you up and about today. We were all worried when you ran away last night."

She blushes, embarrassed. "I'm very sorry about that. I wasn't feeling very well," she sees Sasori in the corner of her eye. He is staring up at the chandeliers with a blase look, as if he were contemplating about something. When he notices her gaze, he smiles and winks.

"Itachi didn't bother you last night, did he, un?" Deidara asks, laughing, "If he ever gets too annoying, tell me, and I'll take care of it." His gallant bravado quickly disappears when Itachi actually looks at him with a satirical questioning look. "What did you say, Deidara?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Deidara says hastily, scooting his chair away towards Konan, who moves his chair back towards Itachi with a sail made of paper. The smell of pancakes and fruit parfait evokes a growl in Mikoto's stomach, and she looks for a place to sit, but the only place available is…

With a smirk, Sasori pushes back his chair and walks towards her. "Mikoto," he whispers softly in her ear, and she shudders at the lewd tone, "I assure you that everything here is delicious. Let's go eat."

"ah-uh, um, Sasori-san" she gasps as he puts a hand to the lower part of her back and steers her towards the table. Pulling back her chair for her, he waits for her to sit down before placing a napkin on her lap.

Breakfast is, to say in the least, extremely awkward. A broody Itachi sits across from her, alternating between glaring at Sasori and glaring at her. And the only reason why Itachi is glaring at Mikoto is because she keeps looking at the redhead, who looks at no one except Deidara when he asks him an "danna un" question.

"Everyone, I have an announcement," Pein stands up on his chair. "A rather strange event has taken place in Kirgakure, and I would like to do some reconnaissance. Kisame, since you are familiar with this village, you and Itachi will scout out the situation and report back to me within a week."

"Yes, sir." Kisame gets from his chair. "Wait, what about my mother?" Itachi asks. Pein looks at him bemused, "What about Mikoto?" "I need to take care of her" he says.

"I'll be fine Itachi," Mikoto says.

"No," he glares at her, "You don't understand, Mother. This is the Akatsuki. We're an S-class criminal organization. We kill people for a living. We have enemies, powerful ones that can kill you in less of a second. Something can easily happen during my mission, and I won't be able to protect you."

"You forget," Pein interjects, "while two people are gone, we still have six other capable shinobi to defend the base, and I'll like to see anyone trying to get past Deidara's bombs or Kakazu's ropes. And of course, if those fail, Sasori can take care of it. We aren't S-class for no reason."

Itachi looks like he is about to argue more, but he stops when Pein's eyes start flashing. "Itachi," he growls, "Go."

He nods reluctantly. "Yes, sir."

o.O.o

**Gah. Why does it take so long for me to update? I have all these ideas and plots floating around in my head, but when it comes actually putting this stuff on paper, I get squeamish.**

**Review?**


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